Swing vote aids Victorino

First Barack Obama. Now Shane Victorino.

Hawaii natives have enjoyed rousing success at the polls the past 10 months.

Victorino, the Philadelphia Phillies' center fielder and a part-time Las Vegas resident, was selected Thursday by 15.6 million fans, putting him into Tuesday's All-Star Game in the National League's final roster spot.

Because of an injury to Carlos Beltran, Victorino got bumped into the starting lineup by NL manager Charlie Manuel of the Phillies.

"To be the guy that comes out of the pack is an honor," Victorino said. "Again, playing in a city like Philly and coming up with a championship in a city that's hungry shows us again what Phillies fans are about."

Victorino, 28, had help campaigning locally from Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, a Philadelphia native and lifelong Phillies fan.

Goodman, by the way, is still toasting the Phillies' 2008 World Series championship.

• LONE COWBOY -- Watch for the Dallas Cowboys to zoom up the chart of Super Bowl favorites.

First, quarterback Tony Romo was separated from trouble-making wide receiver Terrell Owens.

Now, Romo has split with longtime girlfriend Jessica Simpson, People.com reported.

The couple's breakup might be good news for Cowboys fans, who nicknamed the pop singer "Yoko Romo" and blamed her for some of Romo's lackluster performances on the field.

"Everyone needs to know that hope floats ... grab the strings and pull it back to you," Simpson tweeted.

Oddly enough, Owens sent the same message after Dallas released him.

• OLYMPIC DREAM -- Logan Campbell, an Olympian from New Zealand, raised about $94,000 to compete in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

The 23-year-old taekwondo champion is ready to work the streets to collect about twice as much so he can get to the London Games in 2012.

He plans to open a "high-class gentleman's club," which in Pahrump is called a brothel.

"When people think of a pimp, they think of a guy standing around on a street corner with gold chains. Pimps are more tough-type guys. I'm an owner of an escort agency," said the man with deadly martial arts skills who dreams of wearing a gold medal.

• LOOKS LIKE CHALK -- It's common for gymnasts to have clouds of white powder around them as they prepare to compete.

We always thought it was dust from chalk rubbed on their hands for a better grip.

But Dutch gymnast Yuri van Gelder, a former European and world champion in the rings, tested positive for cocaine before last month's Netherlands championships in Rotterdam. He faces a two-year ban from the sport.

Van Gelder, 26, says he used the drug "for fun" and not to enhance his performance.

• DIRTY BUSINESS -- For those who were unable to attend Tuesday's All-Star Game, Nikco Sports is offering a sample of infield dirt as part of a limited-edition collectible also featuring a photo from the game and a copy of the lineup card.

The price for this little piece of baseball history: $89.95.

COMPILED BY JEFF WOLF LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL